“Austin?” Andrew’s voice comes out small, and shaky.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me. Come on, we’ve gotta go. Exit stage left, right?” Austin says. He makes to take a step backwards but doesn’t get far before Andrew launches himself forward, throwing his arms around the other man’s neck. He curls his trembling fingers into the back of Austin’s shirt and sobs.
A pause, and then arms curl around his back, settling there. Even in the dark, it’s easy to see that he’s filthy, mud and blood dried in clumps in his hair, and easier to tell that he’s lost weight; his clothes too loose and baggy, shoulders jutting prominently against the thick fabric of his heavy canvas jacket.
“I thought you were dead,” Andrew sobs out. He hadn’t been willing to say it, but it had been there, lurking. An undeniable option. The biggest chance.
But here he is, alive, solid, freezing.
Today’s Coaltown update! Don’t forget that you can read full chapters of it over on patreon.com/abalonetea!
The grimoire looked old. It was thick, enveloped in brown, used leather. It didn’t have a title, nothing was marked, not on the front nor on the back, not even on the spine. It had a lock, though, that didn’t seem to need a key, at least not a physical one. It was also so full of magic that Jo felt it from meters away.
It didn’t seem… dangerous, but it could very well be.
But Jo wasn’t known for her patience or her carefulness, so she decided to open it.
The first page was blank. The second wasn’t. There were words, a title, in the upper middle of the page : “THE ART OF RUNECRAFTING”. And Jo smiled, because a comment had been added, in a different writing, all pointy and sharp letters, just underneath it : “shitty title”. Another comment, an answer to the first one, written with larger and rounder letters, said : “But it’s straight to the point.” There was nothing else on the page.
“Well, this looks interesting.” Whispered Jo.
She turned the page and snorted. The title of the first chapter was in big letters but obviously written by the author of the “shitty title” comment : “simple guide for basic runes for idiots” a comment was added underneath it, with rounded letters : “stop being mean.”
“I’m going to enjoy reading that.” Jo said to herself.
i LOVE how this is connected to your other story, Under the Moonlight! That’s so cool!
After the Goddess left, Jo sat there for a long moment, not moving, her head bowed down.
She wasn’t… human. She knew that, of course. She could use magic, after all. But she hadn’t even been… She wasn’t…
She had been created, completely made, like a blacksmith would build a blade. The Gods had unleashed a monstruous Entity on their world, and so had decided they would send a weapon to kill it, instead of dealing with their own chaos.
They had sent her. Kept her safe in a random woman’s womb, in another world, to then send her into Nhymisa, and expecting her to just go to war, give all her magic and her life to the Gods’ cause.
Was she even in controle of anything ? Did she had even any choice? Did she ever had any choice?
tricky words I always see misspelled in fics: a guide
Viscous/vicious–Viscousis generally used to describe the consistency of blood or other thick liquids. Viciousis used to describe something or someone who is violent.
Piqued/Peaked/Peeked– To piquesomeone’s interest is to catch or tease their attention. When something peaks,it reaches its total height or intensity. To peek(at) something is to look briefly, or glance.
Discrete/Discreet– this is a tough one. Discretemeans to be separate, or distinct, i.e., two discretetheories. Conversely, when someone is discreet,they are being secretive or cautious to avoid attention.
Segue/Segway – one is a transition between things, the other is a thing you can ride at the park and definitely fall off of.
Conscious/Conscience/Conscientious – to be consciousis to be awake, i.e., not unconscious, or to be aware of something. Your conscienceis the little voice in your head telling you not to eat the entire pint of ice cream. Finally, to be conscientiousis to be good, to do things thoroughly, to be ruled by an inner moral code.
Hope this helped! Please add more if you think of them!
Counsel/Council-counsel is advice, the advice giver, or the verb form of giving said advice. Council is the group of people who come together to discuss and/or make decisions.
Desert/Desert/Dessert-desert is a barren landscape where little precipitation occurs. desert - abandon (a person, cause, or organization) in a way considered disloyal or treacherous. dessert - a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal.
OH MY TIME IS HERE! I HAVE MADE A POST I KEEP FOR THIS EXACTLY
Taunt/Taut-Taunt is a jeer or provocation, taut means to be pulled tight, or not slack
Weary/Wary-wearymeans tired and warymeans cautious
Rogue/Rouge-rogue is a person who has unaffiliated themselves from what they were before (is the general understanding); a person or thing that behaves in an aberrant, faulty, or unpredictable way - rouge is red
Wonton/Wanton - a wontonis a dumpling, wantonis (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked and/or sexually unrestrained
Haphazard/Halfhazard-haphazardmeans to have a lack of plan, order, or direction - the other isn’t a word
Corporal/Corporeal-corporalis a lack of plan, order, or direction and corporealis to have a physical existence: to be tangible: of a person’s body
Peck/Pec - the first is a kiss (peck) and the second is the shortened version of pectoral (pec)
Virile/Viral - to be virileis to have strength, energy, and a strong sex drive (typically said about men) and then this last year (2020) has personally taught us, is how virala plague can really be, so of the nature of, caused by, or relating to a virus or viruses
Vulnerable/Venerable-vulnerablemeans being susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm, and if a person is venerablethey’re accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character (or if you’re religious, holy)
Dyedis something that is colored, and diedis deceased
Chalk (it up to something) ; chock (-full of something); choked (to cutoff air).
toaffect is the action,theeffect is the end result
If something doesn’t bother you then you weren’t fazed by it. If you are between two states of being that is a phase.
Please. For the love of all things holy. I beg you.
Loose: the opposite of tight
Lose: to misplace something or the opposite of win.
I BEG YOU.
breath is the noun, breathe is the verb
I wrote a whole list of these years ago, but the same misspellings persist, unfortunately.
Advice/Advise- in American English advice is a noun, you can give it to people, and advise is a verb, the act of giving advice
Ball/Bawl - people ball their fists when they are angry and ready to fight; people bawl when they cry loudly like a baby
Bear/Bare - to bear is to carry something physical or figurative like “to bear arms” or “to bear good news;” bare is when something is hairless, naked, or exposed as in the expression “baring your soul”
Hanger/Hangar - clothes go on a hanger in a closet or on a rack; airplanes go in a hangar to keep them safe
Definite/Defiant - when something is a sure thing it is definite; when someone acts out against authority they are defiant
Pour/Pore - you pour drinks or pour out your feelings, but your pores are the tiny holes in your skin that keep it healthy
Palate/Palette/Pallet-palate is the surface of your tongue that allows you to taste (e.g. palatable means “is enjoyable to eat”); a palette is a set of color options for paint or makeup; a pallet is a wooden platform heavy shipments are placed on so forklifts can move them around, or a pallet is a mattress stuffed with straw
One more example that I don’t see misspelled, but do see misused:
Soiled - primarily used to describe clothing or fabric that has been made very dirty with something gross and wet (feces, mud, vomit, food, etc.). It is not just a synonym for “wet,” it is very specific. If your female character has “soiled panties,” she is not sexy she just pooped her pants.
Sodden - a close synonym to “soaked,” except it normally has a negative meaning whereas soaked is neutral. You use sodden for objects that have been made soggy or ruined by too much liquid. It is not often used for buildings, cars, or other normally solid objects. Unless the building is made of straw or the car has a fabric interior and was flooded, neither will be described as sodden.
This is partly why I stress that people READ more books if they want to be taken seriously as published authors. You make a lot more mistakes if you don’t know what your language should look like in print!
“You’ve got grease on you,” Noah says, leaning over the ledge of the counter to scrub a thumb over the sharp of Eza’s cheek.
He rolls his eyes and snorts. “I was half under a car. What’d you want on me, glitter?”
“Tempting,” Nico tells him, thumb smoothing out and giving way to his palm, which he presses against the side of his boyfriend’s face. “Very tempting. I think I’d way to see that, actually.”
“You’d be paying a lot for it,” Ezra grumbles, holding out his hand. “Help me up.”
Nico takes it after a moment and tugs, Ezra easily uncurling. The creeper rolls partway back under the lifted car. “Is it going to take a lot to get it back up and running?”
“Dunno.”
“Let me reword that,” says Nico, teasingly. “Are you going to come and get lunch with me, or should I just get it on my own?”
“Fuck, is it that late?” Ezra glances at the neon lit clock hanging on the far side of the wall, rakes a hand through the part of his tangled brown hair hanging against his neck. “Shit. No, s’alright. I’ll come get lunch with you.”
Nico smiles with his teeth. “Exactly what I was hoping you would tell me.”
Hey everyone, Ripley here! I’ve been in the writing community on here for a little over a year now but I took a bit of a break so I figured it was as good a time as any to do a reintroduction! I’m getting back into my old projects, as well as some new ones, and I’m really pumped about it.
Fun Facts:
I’m 26; she/her pronouns.
Based in the US.
I have a criminology degree.
I have a lot of cats and would die for them.
Open to tag and ask games.
I like: video games, comic books, horror movies, lukewarm tea, cardigans, and special effects makeup!
I write in: horror, fantasy, paranormal, urban fantasy, and scifi!
Summary: In an act of desperation, Finley turns toward Death. But it’s not the end she expected. The disembodied head of a creature she doesn’t know appears at the darkest hour with a strange request: Find his body and stitch Death back together again. Not everyone wants Death back together again, whereas others are ravenous for it. Without death, who are they? Where do they go? With the Jackal’s head in her old varsity bowling bag and a less than go get ‘em attitude, Finley sets out to meet all of the ends she never expected.
Themes: Addiction, change vs. tradition, clash of ideologies, fall from grace, found family, injustice, isolation, nature vs. nurture, temptation and destruction.
Genres: Fantasy, Grimdark, Mythology, Horror.
Summary: The land is tainted. The gods have been afflicted with a poison that only humanity can concoct: odium. Others have been created from it. One such god is the reason why ashes stir. Ander is a man burned at the stake that bears his own hatred and he wields it as a weapon as he cuts across an unforgiving land. Along the way, he will meet others with their own afflictions. He will also meet another, one that bears a curious and old mark. One of hope.
Teaser: The dragons are not gone. Our cities are built from their bones and blood. Our kings and queens are crowned with their teeth. Somewhere, their hearts stir and the cities begin to quake. Some remember.
A long long while ago I made some prompts for muses needing sleep, and now here I am making more sleep prompts but this time with some warm and fluffy vibes!! Feel free to edit how you see fit!
“Come snuggle with me!”
“I bought the biggest blanket I could find so now we don’t have to worry about stealing blankets from each other!”
“Geez you feel so cold. Let me warm you up.”
“Pillow fight!”
“It’s too early to get up. Let’s stay a little longer.”
“And just like that, when I’m all comfortable, my bladder makes its presence known.”
“You need a break from all that work. Come lay down.”
“You know you talk in your sleep?”
“No, stay where you are. I’ll bring you some coffee.”
“Don’t think I don’t notice you yawning. I think it’s time for some rest.”
“Hey, I get it. It takes me a while to fall asleep too.”
“You must have been tired. You fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow.”
“Sweet dreams, love.”
“I’m so glad you’re back home. I missed having you next to me at night.”
“Do you think counting sheep together will help us fall asleep?”
“You always have the most peaceful look on your face when you sleep.”
“You fell asleep right on my shoulder. Haha, no, no don’t feel bad. I thought it was rather cute.”
“You looked too comfortable to wake up.”
“I’m so sleepy…”
“Babe… shh.. don’t worry about all of that. You need to rest.”
“Wanna hear about the weird dream I had last night?”
“Did you sleep well?”
Actions
[HAIR] - For sender to stroke receiver’s hair until they fall asleep
[SHOULDER] - For receiver to notice sender falling asleep on their shoulder
[WARM] - For sender to share warm milk with receiver before they go to bed
[CUDDLE] - For both muses to cuddle up next to each other in bed
[CARRY] - For sender to carry receiver to bed
[DESK] - For receiver to find sender asleep at their desk after working nonstop
[CONVERSATION] - for both muses to have a late night conversation as they lay next to each other
[HUM] - For sender to hum a calming tune while cuddled up next to receiver
[PILLOW FORT] - For both muses to get comfy in a pillow fort they built
Hello again darlings! I’ve done this before, but my original intro post is a little outdated now that I’ve got more wips on the go, so I figured I’d make a new one.
So here goes!
I’m L (well, not really, but on the Internet I am) and I’m a nineteen year old student from Scotland. My pronouns are she/her, and I’m probably some sort of asexual. My greatest challenges with writing revolve around my inability to simply pick a genre, which in turn means I usually have at least seven vastly different wips on the go at any one time. At the moment, I’m focusing on two in particular:
Current WIPs:
1)Our Forgotten Devils, an NA paranormal mystery following a pair of ex-lovers and a demonologist’s assistant as they search for a missing girl in the wake of a string of strange murders.
2)The Prince and The Sun, a retelling of the Greek myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus. Alternatively, what happens when an immortal Olympian god falls in love with a mortal prince of Sparta.
Hello! My name is Micah, formerly of annalisawrites. After a great deal of reflection, I’ve decided to rename my writeblr and myself for the new year. So, hello, and welcome to morphaeus! I’m thirty, almost thirty-one, non-binary, and transmasc, and my pronouns are he/they. I live in the midwest of the united states, and I’m a part-time graphic design major. I’m neurodivergent (adhd, social anxiety, depression) and I have chronic pain (migraines).
Right now I have three major works in progress, summarized below the cut, with a fourth idea brewing below the surface, which I am excited to eventually introduce.
The stories below are all incredible, and any one of them could have won this month’s contest. It was a very difficult month to judge. If you are seeing this, I hope you will take the time to read the stories below and reach out to the writers if you like their stories. I know they would love to hear from you!
As a reminder, the piece for the contest is titled, “Scientia,” and it’s an example of yet another mythical being that was generated from the mind of @hydraart. If you’re into fantasy/horror art and you’re not familiar with this artist’s work, you can click here to see a vast collection of original work.
The stories below are listed in the order they were received and do not reflect a system of ranking.
“You know I will kill you,” said the monster. “Fight as much as you want, I will win in the end.”
Anika wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go. It was just her and the monster in the middle of a flat desert. She was rooted to the spot in terror.
Anika awoke with a scream then stared at the ceiling. “Shit,” she thought. “I hate chemo dreams.”
That’s what it was, her chemotherapy dream. Each time she got her treatment she would come home exhausted and collapse into bed. Sleep was the best thing afterwards, but the monster was always waiting for her. It was always the same huge creature that eyed her with malevolence, belittled her, sneered at her, toyed with her, and above all terrified her. This wasn’t a cat and mouse game, a mouse would have stood a chance. It was more like a cat playing with an ant. Anika got up and tried to put the image of the huge merciless face, and the evil sneering voice out of her mind.
It had started with her diagnosis. The words Stage Four Cancer were now permanently seared into her brain. They started her on chemotherapy. Once a week Anika would go in and spend a couple of hours listening to music, while a litre of clear liquid drained into her arm. Then she would go home and have the nightmare. So far she had only had four treatments, twelve more were scheduled. It was going to be a long autumn.
Halloween came and went, but Anika was too exhausted to greet anyone at the door. Thanksgiving passed, but her immune system was too weak to risk getting together with anyone. December arrived, the new year would bring the end of her treatments. None too soon as she had lost weight, her hair had fallen out, and her hands and face were grey and cold. The side effects of chemotherapy accumulate as the cycles go on.
Worse of all though, was the monster. She could feel its hot breath on her face, it’s malice boring into her very soul. She always woke up with a scream.
It was after the first treatment in December that Anika noticed something. The monster wasn’t quite as big any more. Its arrogance and malevolence were just as bad, but it was noticeably smaller. A week later it was smaller still, she could almost look it in the eye. The treatment before Christmas left it barely as tall as her waist. Then a week later she fell asleep to find the creature about the size of cat. Anika smiled, took three steps and punted it as hard as she could. The creature flew beyond the horizon and was no more.
Anika awoke in silence. She felt good, happy, energized. A huge weight had been lifted from her. She still had two more treatments, but in her heart Anika knew that the cancer was gone.
’How could this have happened?’ whispered Jackie incredulously. Her brown coat’s hem twirled around her shins as a gust blasted past her. Her shaky arms lifted up, her clenched fists quivering in the cold. The roaring wind deafened her ears. Her tourmaline eyes squinted through the cascade of misty spray that blew into her face, and she forced herself to make eye contact with the beast ahead.
The first thing that caught her attention was the beast’s expression. There was a twinkle of interest in its dark eyes, similar to a leopard staring at a mouse. Its ears pointed out from the sides of its head, tapered and long. It had twin peculiarly shaped… eyebrows Jackie wanted to call them. Its chin was decorated with a curly, albeit short beard. The massive head was supported by a neck, thick and wide as a small shuttle bus.
The creature had strong, well defined forearms, which sported paws large enough to squish her effortlessly. The claws of the toes were larger than her torso, and sharp enough to disembowel her effortlessly. The muscular chest led to a potbelly, big enough to house an entire elephant.
Jackie could barely make out the beast’s legs, but its right foot stuck out, as intimidating as its front paws. The back of the creature tapered into a muscular yet slender tail. A mysterious smell of sandalwood hung about the beast’s grey fur.
The faint sound of anxious cawing snapped Jackie out of her trance. Her ‘pet’ crows, Ebonette and Soot, circled around her, trying to put up a strong front against the creature. She smiled weakly; somehow these two were the only beings that were teleported with her from the city park.
She steadied her footing, and her clenched fists tightened harder still. As she did so, the creature blinked and huffed a gentle breath.
The breath was powerful enough to cause Jackie to teeter slightly, but she held on, determined to show no weaknesses. “I am not scared of you!” she yelled. Her momentary surge of braveness was lost as her battle cry got lost in the wind. The beast let out a noise akin to a chuckle, and its body convulsed softly as though restraining itself from laughing.
Jackie’s fear turned into rage; the feeling of being treated as a joke reignited her fighting spirit brighter than ever.
She roared and ran at her opponent, her brown sneakers drumming swiftly on the unusually soft floor.
“Cease your silly antics, youngling. I’ll need stitches for my sides.“
A loud voice rumbled, a hint of amusement barely disguised in its majestic rich tone.
Jackie paused, slack-jawed at the sudden development. ”Who-“
”Me? Why, I’m your new familiar. Didn’t you get the memo from Meralda from HR?“
”H-excuse me? Who and what now?“ stammered Jackie.
The creature sighed. ”Well, easier to show than tell. Come.“ Suddenly , it bent down its head and touched Jackie’s, and a blinding white light enveloped them, and the sound faded to nothingness.
Wander makes his way across the frozen river, followed idly by two crows. He does not pay any mind to the guardian sleeping on the ice, for he has places to be, but the guardian hears him coming and stands. Wander, begrudgingly stops before the gray giant. The guardians watch, the protect. They want to know where you’ll be. “I’m just going to the next town over,” Wander answers the beast’s unasked question. “I’ll be back before sundown. You know I’m good for it.” The guardian stares down at the man for a moment before he huffs out a long slow breath and proceeds to lay back on the ice. Wander smiles and walks up to the guardian, rubbing behind his ear. The man says, “Thank you for your service,” and makes his way out.
hey everyone, it’s gabby! i figured since it’s been months since i updated my writeblr (uni is ridiculously hard, cut me some slack), i should reintroduce myself. i used to post under the username achileans, but i hate it, so here we are. you can track my original works through the tag *gabbyor*mine.
about me
gabby, eighteen, entp (which i highly disagree with but okay)
english creative writing student (and struggling)
my favorite genre to write is young adult fantasy, my favorite genre to read is new adult romance
gilmore girls fanatic, i base my entire personality on lorelai gilmore, no i cannot be saved
music taste is all over the place but taylor swift,bts,laundry day, and lauv>>>
my wips
the illiana society.
the library of illiana was the greatest magical library in the world, that is, until it burned with everything and everyone in it. this is that story. ya fantasy, multi pov, small town setting, magical libraries, and family curses
Before we get into this, I apologize for not providing consistent updates. I was unsure of whether I was going to move forward with Moonbow, so I took a break to reorganize.
Anyway, the zine is still accepting applications for writers and artists and we are taking submissions all the way until July 26. The zine production will start in August.
Please read our guidelines before applying because they have crucial information.
[Image description: Close up of Katy, who is wrapped in a dark green weighted blanket and smiling slightly at the camera]
Hi! Nice to meet you!
My name is Katy Morgan, and I’m an indie fantasy author, fiction editor, and proud weighted blanket owner.
My Camp NaNo project this year is the third book in a contemporary fantasy trilogy called the Compound Series, which is about a misanthropic empath and a corrupt organization that experiments on magical people. If you like conspiracies, snarky dialogue, and mlm romance, this one’s for you. (More info here.)
[Image description: Paperback copies of Dark Empathy and Fail-Safe lying next to each other on the same dark green blanket]
When I’m not writing or editing, I’m usually cross-stitching something sassy, daydreaming about hedgehogs, or drinking far too many mochas. Probably all at once. ☕
If you’re so inclined, please reblog and let me know what you’re working on, whether it’s for Camp NaNo or just in general. (I’ve been an epic failure at keeping up with the writeblr community lately, so I’m sure you’re all up to exciting new things!)
Hiya! I’m also kind of bad at keeping up with writeblr these days, but in my writeblr heyday I was working on a WIP about a dreamwalking ex-Chosen One who has to return to her childhood world and take a second shot at saving everyone. I think, this year, I’ll take a stab at NaNo, but it’s going to be very lowkey because I so happen to also be working on my midsemester exams.
Oof, I don’t envy you the midsemester exams, but that WIP sounds excellent! I love when writers mess with well-known tropes. (I also have a thing for stories that use dreamscape elements, so you’ve hooked me twice!) I hope you get a chance to work on it this month, whether or not you end up doing Camp NaNo
Scorching heat glazed his tongue, leaving the taste of ashes on his breath. “They make us into hungry dogs down here,” he pointed down the line of cages, all the creatures pacing their tombs. “They bleed us and starve us and pick at our instincts until we are wound so tight we snap at everything. But they forget,” he seethed, his voice saturated in some foreign entity shaking with power, “theyforget that a hungry dog is never loyal.”
Accountability post, because the procrastination is hitting me hard!
Working on the rewrite of Chapter 5 from Andric’s PoV today. Hopefully I can get that one done, and Chapter 6, since I missed all my words yesterday.
New allergy meds mean I slept all day, so now I’m behind and trying to catch up… Writers life, I guess!
But I’m loving getting this insight into Andric’s first impression of Lizzy and Booker, it’s a lot of fun to hear his internal thoughts, because he doesn’t actually say all that much.
He communicates with and relies on facial expressions and body language a lot, which will be fine, later, when Lizzy has a read on him, but this early on she mistakes and misunderstands a lot of the minutia in Andric’s reactions…
Snippet that’s pictured above, can be found in text form beneath the read-more…
“Come on, follow me, I’ll drive you up to speak with Thomas Walcott,” he told the pair, not giving himself a moment to second guess the decision, and quickly moving to step past the pair and lead them towards where he’d parked his car for the evening’s hunt.
“And what if we refuse?” Lizzy demanded, voice sharp and reluctant, and Andric bit back a laugh before turning to meet her electric blue eyes.
“Lizzy,” Booker groaned softly, but the girl never wavered and Andric admitted himself impressed. She’d just watched him dispatch a kavian, but had no fear when staring him down, challenging him.
Rules: When you receive this tag, list 5 things that make you happy (and send this to 10 of the last people in your notifications!)
Cat purrs. I got my first cat when I was 9, and there’s been nothing that can cheer me up faster than a cat purring, ever since.
A bottle of wine shared with @faelanvance late at night. Sometimes combined with Disney Sing-alongs at 2-4am just because we can!
Speaking of sing-alongs; Music! Music makes me happy. I can’t even pick a type or a genre, just sound. It soothes me, and makes me smile.
Romance! Specifically the fictional kind, seeing as there’s nothing going on in my real life in that department. But films, tv shows, movies, or computer games that give me sappy, wholesome, tragic, twisted, romances, can all have a slot in the “That makes me smile” section of my mental storage shelves.
The cliche answer; Writing. I don’t know what I’d be, who I’d be, how I’d face the world, without the ability to write. It’s a really integral part of who I am… and, it makes me happy!
Time for a little more of an official post now that my other post has floated around for a couple days!! The Summer Chaos Writing Challenge is a wonderful way for writers to let lose with their creative juices in a completely unhinged, practically unplanned story with random strangers equally unprepared!
Here’s how it works:
Due to the number of people interested there will be several groups/pairs of writers and you’ll be matched based on your answers to the Google form attached
Writers will be able to decide on themes, tropes, and a brief description of the main character as well as a title for the characters role ie villain, love interest, best friend etc.
WRITERS MUST NOT DISCUSS PLOT POINTS FOR THE STORY
Writers will have a rough schedule of about 2/3 days per person to write a scene/chapter before the next person in the group/pair takes their turn
This will continue until the story reaches its natural end or one or more of the writers decide they no longer want to continue the project**
Writers can make a mini presentation on their work to post on tumblr and you are free to share the work on this platform with the rest of the writeblr community!
**in this case, if the leaving writer permits the remaining writer may continue the story without them or receive a new partner!
This is supposed to be a fun way to explore themes and ideas and break away from things like outlining and plot lines and to just indulge in some writing, unabashed and unfiltered. Of course there are a few rules to make sure everyone has a great writing experience and I will check up on writers throughout the summer!
Rules:
no discussing plot
no editing other writers work
try your best to stick to the schedule - let your partner or me know if you need an adjustment!
do not repost any of the writing on other platforms
you may withdraw from the competition at any time
all members will receive a copy of the document at the end of the challenge!
I don’t know if I should make a discord server or not, so feel free to tell me if you think that’s something you would enjoy! The google form will be open for a week so please go ahead and reblog so anyone who is interested can join so I can match people as soon as possible. The challenge will run from early to mid september (unless you feel your story has reached a natural conclusion before that!).
Accountability post, because the procrastination is hitting me hard!
Just completed the rewrite of chapter three of Changeling and it’s gone from 2096 to 2637 words.
I have *consistently* added about 500 words to each chapter so far, and I’m really liking just the extra layer of descriptives I’ve been able to slide in this way.
But, chapter four is going to be a huge overhaul. I want to rewrite the entire chapter, currently in Lizzy’s PoV, and change it to Andric’s PoV. This will let us into his head much earlier in the story, and I’m going to be happier about that I think.
It’ll let me reveal his motivations earlier, and his thoughts on Lizzy and Booker. By the time I show Andric’s internal thoughts at the moment, we’re too far into the story for me to devote much time to his first reactions.
Onward and upward!
Snippet that’s pictured above, can be found in text form beneath the read-more…
“Are you going to introduce yourself?” Lizzy demanded, and for a moment there was almost a smile on his lips, before it vanished and she was left wondering if she’d imagined it.
“Are you?” the stranger shot back quickly, but before Lizzy could snap at him, Booker answered instead.
“Booker Reed,” he offered, placing the hand that wasn’t still curled around her own against his chest, “and this is Lila Isabelle—”
hey y'all i’ve been startin to go back to doing writeblr things and a buncha the people i used to follow are now inactive. if you’re a writer yourself, please interact with this post and i’ll come check you out!! if i like your vibes enough, i’ll totally hurricane into your life to get to know you better. bonus points if you write fantasy, alternate history, are into tropes like found family, explore dysfunctional relationships, and have a buncha traumatized characters <3
adult, high fantasy, first draft, book 0 in its series The Heavy Hands of Fate
Two immortal kings are forced to resolve their four-century-long quarrel when one of them is deposed by a usurper seeking to conquer their kingdoms.
Untitled Book 2
same as DoaMG, first draft, book 2
Omer is a mercenary working for the kingdom of Amavo, which is making war on the empire of Montlimar to reclaim land lost in the empire wars. Florian is the Crown Prince of Montlimar who will do anything to protect the duchy he rules over. Leon is the courtesan linking the two of them.
Untitled Book 1
also HHoF, first draft scrapped and re-outlining, book 1
Seraphine’s father has been on the warpath assembling his empire for her entire life, and he has never lost, until he picks a fight with the neighboring island kingdom of Changxin.
Less of a wip and more rotating in my mind
Divine Intervention
Sci-fi for sure, time travel probably, centered around a smuggling ship called the Divine Intervention. I’ve been toying with these characters on and off since high school.
I’d be delighted to be tagged in games and such! this will be fun I’m excited!
Redoing my Writeblr Introduction for 2022 since a lot of my projects and publishing goals have shifted slightly in the last year.
First of all, let’s get the ‘hello’s’ out of the way! My name is Ari! I’m a fiction writer in her thirties based in the South-East of England.
I live with my mother and my cat, and spend my days wandering through the fantasy worlds that I’ve created, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
While Tumblr is my primary social media platform I’m also on Instagram, Facebook, and reluctantly Twitter. If you’d like to follow me on any of those platforms, you can find links to my profiles via my website; www.aristaholmes.weebly.com
My planned projects can be found below the cut. If you’d like to be added to my general tag list, or one for a specific project, please let me know! Either drop me a message on this post, or shoot me an ask. My inbox is always open <3
I’ve also created dedicated side blogs for each project, where I reblog any project specific content, world building notes, prompt fills, or snippet shares etc. Links to those side blogs can be found below.
Seasonal Novella - Once Upon A Fey Touched Holiday
The Fey Touched Trilogy is a Portal Fantasy and planned to be my debut novel series. I’d ideally like to publish Book One, Changeling, in the first quarter of 2023, so I’ll be focussing on completing the entire trilogy in 2022 so that I can follow a rapid release schedule for the series.
Assuming no delays or unanticipated crisis cropping up, I hope to have my Newsletter up and running by October 2022 to offer the free prequel short story to anyone who signs up.
Tag List:@/jezifster
Changeling Blurb
Fey go missing in the mortal realm. Everyone knows that.
When Lizzy’s mother is the next to vanish she is expected to grieve and move on. Instead Lizzy wants to find out what happened, but the answers she seeks can’t be found in the fey realm of Arbaon. With the help of her best friend, Booker Reed, Lizzy is determined to retrace her mother’s final steps, straight through an illegal portal and into the mortal realm.
Whatever leads she expected to find, it wasn’t an academy of vampires, and a world stalked by their rabid cousins, the kavians. Forced to rely on the vampires for protection, and secluded away behind the high walls of Speculo School, it quickly becomes clear that not everyone is pleased with Lizzy and Booker’s investigation.
With danger building the further they dig, the two fey need to decide if the answers they seek are worth risking their lives for. The longer they remain with the vampires, the more Lizzy begins to suspect that her answers instead lie amongst the deadly kavians.
You’re going to have slow writing days. Or writing days with no writing at all. Maybe it will stretch out to a week. Maybe it will linger over months. It’s all okay. It’s all perfectly normal.
You don’t qualify as a writer based on your word count. You qualify by telling stories. Dreaming them up and spinning wild adventures. Don’t worry about wordcounts. Find a way to connect with the stories you want to tell. ♥
Have barely written anything since December, but I’m back on a roll right now *rubs hands together excitedly*
Seriously though, for anyone who needs to hear this, I burned out on writing. I burned out hard. Between 2008-2018 I don’t think I wrote anything at all. Nothing I can put my finger on and say “I wrote this” about, anyways.
Then in late 2018 I started writing a Doctor Who fanfic. Between 2018 and 2019 I wrote over 250,000 words on that fanfic, and my best friend @faelanvance pointed out, rather irritated with me, that I could have written 250,000 words of my own story!
I, obstinantly, pointed out that my story was a season rewrite, so that, at most, I probably only had 65k words of original content.
To which she pointed out that was still a whole god damned novel!
I did not have an answer to this beyond; Ah… yeah. You’re not wrong.
So I started outlining a novel. At this point I’d not written original fiction, in any form of consistent manner, in just on ten years, but that didn’t stop me being a writer. I’d still been reading during that time. I’d still been watching films and analysing media during that time. I’d still be learning story craft just by looking at my media consumption critically.
It took me six months to write a 145k first draft of my novel, Stolen. By the time I finished it, the story outline had expanded to be a six book series.
To Long, Didn’t Read; So if you have a writing drought, that doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. It just means you’re absorbing media and studying storycraft in a different way that by putting fresh words to paper.
[ID: a book cover. The cover has a red and yellow lute at the center, with blue flowers at the center, all against a black background. The title reads “The Stray Spirit, Lutesong Book One.” The author name is R.K. Ashwick. The translucent text overlaid at the top of the cover reads “Advanced Reader Copy.” end ID]
Calling ARC Readers for The Stray Spirit!
Do you like anxious bards?
How about forest spirits?
How about anxious bards with a forest spirit trapped in his lute, where he’s forced to work with his ex-girlfriend to get out of this mess, only to uncover a major magical threat no one is prepared for?
Hey, then you might like my book!
If you want to be an ARC reader for The Stray Spirit, and get a free copy of the book in exchange for leaving a (voluntary!) review:
But Ash! What if I don’t wanna leave a review? What if I wanna just buy the book?
That’s great! I’ll be announcing pre-order info & goodies in July!!
If you pre-order, you’ll get:
the first three chapters as a sneak peek
a sticker I drew myself
a bookmark I painted myself
See?
[ID: a photo of a sticker and a bookmark against a wooden background. The sticker is of a lute with flowers and vines growing out of the sound hole. The bookmark is a watercolor of blue and purple flowers, with the script text “The Stray Spirit” at the top. end ID]
TL;DR:
Sign up to be an ARC reader now, or get pre-order info & gifts in July!
You might have seen some of my Book Reviews around, but I tend to post my review here, instagram, facebook, and on my website, in addition to amazon, goodreads, and any other platform I can find that the book is for sale on. (Including Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Bookbub, Kobo, etc)
so because my last reblog pissed me off, reblog this and give me the elevator pitch of your WIP. i’ll go first:
inbeauty is a beast after wandering into a cursed forest, twenty year old rowan herself becomes cursed and has to find the witch who can reverse it
Tumblr just felt I needed to see this tonight. Okay then lol
When Lizzy Hail heads to the mortal realm to look for her missing mother, with nothing but a single bag and her best friend at her side, she must quickly learn to navigate a world of rabid vampires or risk losing her only opportunity for closure.
If only he would listen to her, instead of demanding that she adhered to his whims!
If only she would be silent on occasion, and realise that he knew best.
Mallory aimed a furious kick at a pile of leaves, and her foot slipped as the wet mud gave way beneath her feet. Her back hit the ground and her head spun as a sharp “Ooof!” was forced from her lungs.
Now that I’ve got my blog set up and I’m mostly settled, I’d like to get to know some of you and become mutuals with some like-minded folks!
Here’s a little bit about me:
I’m a 31 year old with an academic interest in esotericism, magic, true crime, and all things strange and unusual, which tends to bleed over into my creative endeavors. I write horror, sci-fi, and urban fantasy most often, although I have been known to branch into other genres when I’m hyper fixating on a topic (as you do).
Bird and Fish: Current W.I.P (first book in the Second Serpent series)
In the year 2643, 100 years after humanity has picked itself up from a centuries-long world war, what remains of humankind resides in a domed, climate-controlled city called New London. A pharmaceutical and technology company called Schmidt & Foster runs the city in what is basically a monopoly and a monarchy. However, with the forming of the ADC (the Allied Districts Council), Schmidt & Foster’s unblocked power over the people is beginning to wane.
Seung Kim is a government assassin created by Schmidt & Foster, the last-born in a now dissolving experimental gene-editing project that pre-dates the war (known as H.O.U.N.D.). Seung has a rare gift: the power to travel into the “Void” and traverse the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey soup of time and space. Before leaving on her first assignment, an elder HOUND relays to her an unusual and eerie prophecy: Seung, he says, is fated to destroy New London and all the tentative peace therein.
We’ve got psychics, we’ve got doomsday cults and Lovecraftian eldritch horror, we’ve got political drama, we’ve got the last vestiges of humanity recovering from over 500 years of generational trauma and war… It’s a whole bag of cats.
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ. Follow if you’re interested in connecting and I’ll follow you back. Can’t wait to meet more of you. <3
Some Other Stuff About Me:
Favorite Tropes:
Enemies to lovers (slow burn)
Small boi/gurl is definitely more powerful than big boi/gurl
The magnificent bastard
The berserker
Sins of the father
Grow from trauma or die trying (read: angst angst angst)
Opposites attract (sweaty bisexual meets prim and proper is my crack)
Unknowable horror (eldritch horror)
Some of My All-Time Favorite Shows:
Evangelion
Fullmetal Alchemist
The Big O
Haruhi Suzumiya
Hannibal
Stranger Things
Haunting of Hill House
Mind Hunter
Arcane
Hello fellow writeblr! You had me hooked at “… magic, true crime, and all things strange and unusual.” All things that I, too, have an interest in :D
Your WIP sounds freaking awesome. I have a soft spot for any books set in London, or london like locations as I’m situated in the South East of England, but I’m also loving the time traveling vibes, and the science experiment vibes, and the horror notes. It looks very intriguing and I know at least one other writer on my mutuals who would also love it (@faelanvance)
I also spot slow burn on your things you like. It’s a favourite dynamic of mine to write. I drive everyone crazy. My project, Stolen, doesn’t even have the two MC’s kiss until book two *evil grin*.
Looking forward to seeing more of your project! <3
The stories below are all incredible, and any one of them could have won this month’s contest. It was a very difficult month to judge. If you are seeing this, I hope you will take the time to read the stories below and reach out to the writers if you like their stories. I know they would love to hear from you!
As a reminder, the piece for the contest is titled, “Scientia,” and it’s an example of yet another mythical being that was generated from the mind of @hydraart. If you’re into fantasy/horror art and you’re not familiar with this artist’s work, you can click here to see a vast collection of original work.
The stories below are listed in the order they were received and do not reflect a system of ranking.
“You know I will kill you,” said the monster. “Fight as much as you want, I will win in the end.”
Anika wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go. It was just her and the monster in the middle of a flat desert. She was rooted to the spot in terror.
Anika awoke with a scream then stared at the ceiling. “Shit,” she thought. “I hate chemo dreams.”
That’s what it was, her chemotherapy dream. Each time she got her treatment she would come home exhausted and collapse into bed. Sleep was the best thing afterwards, but the monster was always waiting for her. It was always the same huge creature that eyed her with malevolence, belittled her, sneered at her, toyed with her, and above all terrified her. This wasn’t a cat and mouse game, a mouse would have stood a chance. It was more like a cat playing with an ant. Anika got up and tried to put the image of the huge merciless face, and the evil sneering voice out of her mind.
It had started with her diagnosis. The words Stage Four Cancer were now permanently seared into her brain. They started her on chemotherapy. Once a week Anika would go in and spend a couple of hours listening to music, while a litre of clear liquid drained into her arm. Then she would go home and have the nightmare. So far she had only had four treatments, twelve more were scheduled. It was going to be a long autumn.
Halloween came and went, but Anika was too exhausted to greet anyone at the door. Thanksgiving passed, but her immune system was too weak to risk getting together with anyone. December arrived, the new year would bring the end of her treatments. None too soon as she had lost weight, her hair had fallen out, and her hands and face were grey and cold. The side effects of chemotherapy accumulate as the cycles go on.
Worse of all though, was the monster. She could feel its hot breath on her face, it’s malice boring into her very soul. She always woke up with a scream.
It was after the first treatment in December that Anika noticed something. The monster wasn’t quite as big any more. Its arrogance and malevolence were just as bad, but it was noticeably smaller. A week later it was smaller still, she could almost look it in the eye. The treatment before Christmas left it barely as tall as her waist. Then a week later she fell asleep to find the creature about the size of cat. Anika smiled, took three steps and punted it as hard as she could. The creature flew beyond the horizon and was no more.
Anika awoke in silence. She felt good, happy, energized. A huge weight had been lifted from her. She still had two more treatments, but in her heart Anika knew that the cancer was gone.
’How could this have happened?’ whispered Jackie incredulously. Her brown coat’s hem twirled around her shins as a gust blasted past her. Her shaky arms lifted up, her clenched fists quivering in the cold. The roaring wind deafened her ears. Her tourmaline eyes squinted through the cascade of misty spray that blew into her face, and she forced herself to make eye contact with the beast ahead.
The first thing that caught her attention was the beast’s expression. There was a twinkle of interest in its dark eyes, similar to a leopard staring at a mouse. Its ears pointed out from the sides of its head, tapered and long. It had twin peculiarly shaped… eyebrows Jackie wanted to call them. Its chin was decorated with a curly, albeit short beard. The massive head was supported by a neck, thick and wide as a small shuttle bus.
The creature had strong, well defined forearms, which sported paws large enough to squish her effortlessly. The claws of the toes were larger than her torso, and sharp enough to disembowel her effortlessly. The muscular chest led to a potbelly, big enough to house an entire elephant.
Jackie could barely make out the beast’s legs, but its right foot stuck out, as intimidating as its front paws. The back of the creature tapered into a muscular yet slender tail. A mysterious smell of sandalwood hung about the beast’s grey fur.
The faint sound of anxious cawing snapped Jackie out of her trance. Her ‘pet’ crows, Ebonette and Soot, circled around her, trying to put up a strong front against the creature. She smiled weakly; somehow these two were the only beings that were teleported with her from the city park.
She steadied her footing, and her clenched fists tightened harder still. As she did so, the creature blinked and huffed a gentle breath.
The breath was powerful enough to cause Jackie to teeter slightly, but she held on, determined to show no weaknesses. “I am not scared of you!” she yelled. Her momentary surge of braveness was lost as her battle cry got lost in the wind. The beast let out a noise akin to a chuckle, and its body convulsed softly as though restraining itself from laughing.
Jackie’s fear turned into rage; the feeling of being treated as a joke reignited her fighting spirit brighter than ever.
She roared and ran at her opponent, her brown sneakers drumming swiftly on the unusually soft floor.
“Cease your silly antics, youngling. I’ll need stitches for my sides.“
A loud voice rumbled, a hint of amusement barely disguised in its majestic rich tone.
Jackie paused, slack-jawed at the sudden development. ”Who-“
”Me? Why, I’m your new familiar. Didn’t you get the memo from Meralda from HR?“
”H-excuse me? Who and what now?“ stammered Jackie.
The creature sighed. ”Well, easier to show than tell. Come.“ Suddenly , it bent down its head and touched Jackie’s, and a blinding white light enveloped them, and the sound faded to nothingness.
Wander makes his way across the frozen river, followed idly by two crows. He does not pay any mind to the guardian sleeping on the ice, for he has places to be, but the guardian hears him coming and stands. Wander, begrudgingly stops before the gray giant. The guardians watch, the protect. They want to know where you’ll be. “I’m just going to the next town over,” Wander answers the beast’s unasked question. “I’ll be back before sundown. You know I’m good for it.” The guardian stares down at the man for a moment before he huffs out a long slow breath and proceeds to lay back on the ice. Wander smiles and walks up to the guardian, rubbing behind his ear. The man says, “Thank you for your service,” and makes his way out.
Hey people, check out those AMAZING stories inspired of my illustration. I love reading what people come up with <3
